Friday, June 26, 2009

Only 15¢ an Item !

While I was borrowing a book at the lending machine in the local library, I spied a poster on the wall. I studied it for a while, all the time thinking "Something's not right!". I reproduce the poster in the following image, also available at their website.

Now, I must admit that I'm not an authority on advanced mathematics, but I can't quite figure out how the sum of 15¢ an item was arrived at. If we were to divide the sum of $42.00 by $0.15, we would get 280 items, which is clearly not the borrowing limit. Even after including the loan duration, it seems impossible to arrive at 15¢. I would challenge the reader to solve this most amazing problem.

In any case, my opinion on the premium membership is that it is mostly a waste of money. The increased borrowing limit is largely moot, being merely a convenience- remember the situation of a small cup vs a large cup when both have unlimited refills. Perhaps the only justifying point is the ability to borrow audio-visual materials, but at $42 much use would have to be made of it.